The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

Shopping has become an exercise in convenience over the last two decades. Everything we could ever need or want is a simple click away on the internet, and you don’t even have to leave your house to shop for the holidays. Sure, it’s nice to avoid crowds, but online shopping leaves a gaping hole in communities like ours whose backbone is comprised of hard-working small business owners trying to make their hometowns thrive.

The reasons for keeping your money local are many, but sometimes easy to forget when advertisements from big box stores flood the airwaves, pop up on our screens and pack mailboxes. However, our local merchants often have great deals when you actually start comparing them to the national chains. You have to waste gas to drive to big-box stores, fight hostile crowds and endure long lines at the checkout register when you’re ready to leave. It seems the savings are marginal when you add in the headache of the whole situation.

By spending your money here at home, you’re supporting the livelihood of friends and neighbors. These folks work hard all year round to provide the community with a vibrant business scene. It only makes sense to give them our nod of approval during the holiday season through buying local – our economy gets a shot in the arm and our cash stays with families here in the county. Be it a small specialty store, restaurant or other business, O’Brien and Clay counties have plenty of options to choose from this time of the year.

Spending our money here at home is important, but so too is giving to those in need this Christmas. Charity fundraisers, food drives and gift drop-offs are only a small portion of the opportunities we have to help this time of the year. If you’re in a position to give a toy, clothing or food item to a child here in town or elsewhere, consider doing so. Many families could use a helping hand and we can’t forget that. Bringing a smile to a child during Christmas is more than worth the small amount of time or money it takes to donate a gift.

Right here, we’re lucky to have things like the H-M-S Giving Tree to give us a targeted outlet to help out local families. The Giving Tree has become a fantastic tradition in recent years and has grown into something truly special. Though you can count how many families have been blessed by it over the past few years, the impact it’s had on local children during Christmas is immeasurable. We truly live in a special place.

December is a fun, yet hectic, time of the year for all of us. As the shopping season picks up and schedules get busier with each passing day, remember to keep it local. Focusing your purchases in-county is an important investment in the community’s future, and local merchants would appreciate your continued patronage. Additionally, please help out any way you can during the holidays. Whether that means assisting with a charitable cause or donating gifts and money, anything helps. Your generosity won’t go unnoticed by those in need.